British actor and director Richard Attenborough has died, but his brother ... Photo: AP

During his career, which spanned six decades, Attenborough appeared in movies such as Brighton Rock, The Great Escape and Jurassic Park, and directed Gandhi, which marked the highlight of his career. The movie won eight Oscars, including best film and best director.

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But despite his success, it appears Attenborough's younger brother has stolen the limelight, with thousands of Twitter users mistakenly paying tribute to the world-renowned broadcaster and wildlife documentary maker on Monday.

Upon hearing the news, user "Richard" tweeted: "David Attenborough you will be sorely missed!", before another user, "Chloe-Amanda Bailey", corrected him with a terse: "you mean Richard* Attenborough".

Another fan, "Elise", farewelled Sir David with an: "RIP David Attenborough xo", while amused user "KC" said: "Some lovely tweets paying respect to David Attenborough tonight. I'm sure he'll enjoy reading them, what with him not being dead & all that".

Even a major Canadian newspaper, the Toronto Star, became confused, and tweeted a picture of a moose "selfie" in honour of the late Attenborough, saying on Twitter: "RIP Sir Richard Attenborough. In honour we present these 'Wildlife selfies' from Parks Canada".

The newspaper soon corrected the mistake after other users pointed out it had the right name, but wrong brother.

Rest in peace David Attenborough. Wildlife documentaries will never be the same again. Sad, sad day. — Trèv Carruthërs (@Carrutherst)
August 24, 2014

Career in pictures: Richard Attenborough

Other fans have also been unable to match the brothers' names with their careers, with one user tweeting: "Sir David Attenborough's performance in The Great Escape will never be forgotten, nor his work in British cinema. RIP Sir David".

But some Twitter vigilantes have taken to correcting their misguided fellow users, replying to each incorrect tribute and asking the user to correct themselves.

"You mean Richard* Attenborough. David's brother," wrote one.

Richard Samuel Attenborough was born in Cambridge on August 29, 1923, and won his first acting role at 17 when Noel Coward cast him in a small but decisive role in InWhich We Serve.

After acting, Attenborough became a notable film director, before pursuing a vast number of positions outside cinema, most notably being chairman of Britain's Channel 4 from 1987 to 1993.